The present invention relates to a system and method for cleaning animal intestines. More particularly, it relates to a system for cleaning both the interior surface and the exterior surface of an extracted animal intestine using a washing action provided by a cleaning fluid.
In the slaughter of mammalian or red-meat animals, the primary meat and meat products are derived from the animal""s skeletal muscles (i.e., those muscles that are attached to the skeleton and function to facilitate movement and support the weight of the animal). A number of other parts of the carcass are either consumed directly by people or used in the production of other foods. These portions of the carcass are often referred to as xe2x80x9coffal.xe2x80x9d Various types of red-meat slaughter animals include beef or bovine (e.g., cattle, steers, heifers, cows, bulls, and buffalo), pork or porcine (e.g., sows, gilts, barrows, boars, and pigs), and ovine (e.g., sheep and lamb). Typical beef offal includes the stomach, heart, brains, tongue, liver, kidneys, intestines, and mesentery (the folds of the peritoneum that connect that intestines to the dorsal abdominal wall). Typical pork offal includes the liver, kidney, brains, head, and intestines. Also, the wall of the intestine, with the inner lining (commonly referred to as the xe2x80x9cmucosaxe2x80x9d) removed, is used for packaging of sausages.
The present invention is directed to a system for cleaning the intestines, including both the small and large intestines, of these various red-meat slaughter animals, so that the intestines are suitable for human consumption. The intestine is a generally soft, tubular element, which extends from the stomach to the anus. The small intestines of various red-meat animals vary in length from about 15 feet to about 120 feet. The small intestines of cattle, for example, typically extend 80 feet to 120 feet, more typically from 100 feet to 110 feet, while the small intestines of hogs typically extend 15 feet to 18 feet. These animal intestines are generally extracted from the carcass of the dead animal during the slaughtering process. When extracted, the intestines generally remain attached to the mesentery and are disposed in a sinuous configuration. The intestines typically have connective tissue, fat tissue, and glands attached to an exterior surface, which must be removed prior to human consumption.
In a live red-meat animal, the intestines receive food (also referred to as xe2x80x9cingestaxe2x80x9d) from the stomach, which is passed along the length of the intestine so that nutritional components of the food can be absorbed into the animal""s blood stream. The unabsorbed portion of the food is discharged from a distal end of the intestine as digesta or fecal matter. Intestines which are harvested from the carcasses of red-meat animals during slaughtering contain some amount of digesta or fecal matter, which must be removed prior to human consumption.
One common food product made from animal intestines is xe2x80x9cchitterlings,xe2x80x9d which are made from hog intestines. Many devices for cleaning chitterlings are known in the prior art, including those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,509,593 to DeMoss and U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,453 to Burke. These devices operate by passing the chitterling over a tubular element having a nozzle for spraying water onto the interior surface to remove a portion of the fecal matter. In commercial cleaning operations, the chitterlings are then commonly slit longitudinally and cleaned further using a centrifugal or agitating washing action. Finally, the chitterlings are then commonly passed through a hand-cleaning and inspection station for further cleaning.
In Hispanic cultures, xe2x80x9ctripasxe2x80x9d are prepared from the small intestines of slaughtered red-meat animals. To make tripas more flavorful, it is advantageous to thoroughly clean the digesta and fecal matter from the intestine, yet keep the inner lining or mucosa of the intestine intact. In European and Hispanic cultures intestines are used for sausage skin or casing. In both of these applications, the intestines must be properly cleaned such that they are suitable for human consumption. A device for washing tripas is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,083,096 to Carrillo.
The prior art systems and methods for cleaning animal intestines are labor-intensive and require much human intervention. This slows the cleaning process to below commercial chain speeds in a meat processing facility. In addition, prior art systems often wash away the mucosa, along with the digesta and fecal matter, due to pressure of the washing system.
There is a need in the art for a system and method of removing ingesta and other undesirable particles from the surfaces of an animal intestines at commercial chain speeds (e.g., 300 head per hour or more). There is a further need in the art for a device capable of cleaning the animal intestines without causing structural damage to the intestine, including the inner lining or mucosa of the intestine.
The present invention, in one embodiment, is a device for cleaning an inner surface and an outer surface of a section of an animal intestine. In this embodiment, the device includes a carrier for supporting at least one of the sections and providing a connection to the inner surface. The device further includes a track for guiding and supporting the carrier, the track configured in a closed-loop. The device includes at least one vertically disposed tube having a plurality of orifices for directing a fluid at the outer surface. At least one nozzle is located along the elevated portion of the track and is adapted to direct the fluid into the connection of the carrier.
The present invention, in another embodiment, is a method of cleaning an interior surface and an exterior surface of animal intestines. In this embodiment, the method includes attaching the animal intestines to a carrier adapted to guide the animal intestines along a track and to allow access to the interior surface. The method includes elevating the carrier until the animal intestines hang vertically above ground level and impinging a spray of cleaning fluid onto the exterior surface of the plurality of animal intestines. The method also includes introducing a flow of cleaning fluid into the interior surface of the plurality of animal intestines through the carrier.
The present invention, in a subsequent embodiment, is a rotating device for cleaning an inner surface and an outer surface of a section of an animal intestine. In this embodiment, the device includes an intestine washing wheel for carrying sections of intestine through a washing station. The intestine washing wheel sits in a vertical or substantially vertical position and rotates clockwise. The intestine washing wheel includes multiple nozzles, each nozzle located on the end of a nozzle-support arm, where multiple nozzle-support arms protrude radially from an axis on the intestine washing wheel. The device further includes a load station, a wash station, a release station, and a nozzle cleaning station, such that the intestine washing wheel rotates (or indexes) each section of intestine through each station.
The present invention, in an additional embodiment, is a method of cleaning an interior surface and an exterior surface of animal intestines using a rotating cleaning system. In this embodiment, the method includes attaching a section of animal intestines to the nozzle on the intestine washing wheel. The method includes rotating the washing wheel such that each section of intestine is carried to the wash station, where water or cleaning fluid is introduced into the interior surface of the intestine. The method also includes projecting water or cleaning fluid over the exterior of the intestine. The washing wheel then rotates again, where the method further includes releasing the intestine at the release station and cleaning the nozzle at the nozzle cleaning station.
While multiple embodiments are disclosed, still other embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which shows and describes illustrative embodiments of the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modifications in various obvious aspects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.